Reign of the Red King
by Airezi
Summary: Tasa is Sarabi and Mufasa's second son, growing up under Scar's reign of the Pride Lands. Will he survive? And if he does, who is going to be the one that directs his path in life?
1. Protective Lies

A/N - Tasa was a character I first introduced in my story, A King in all but Name. Though not necessarily a sequel reading this other story first is recommended. Please R&R and all that copyright stuff.**  
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**Reign of the Red King**

**Ch. 1- Protective Lies**

"Don't go too near the edge Tasa," Etari commanded, raising his head to make sure the bouncing cub obeyed.

" 'tari," the young member of the pride asked, looking over his shoulder at his babysitter. "What's that big tree?"

"The tree?" Etari rolled to his feet and padded up to the fuzzy cub to see what he was looking at. "That's Rafikis' tree, you know who Rafiki is."

"The monkey?" inquired the princling as he peered up Etari from under his red tuft of hair.

"Uh huh. Now come on away from the edge."

"Yes young prince," Scar's voice startled both cubs who hadn't heard him stride up. "We wouldn't want you to fall off the edge now. It's a very long ways down." The red king grinned manically, watching the cub do just the opposite of what he was told, peering over the edge to see just how far down it was. With a growl Etari hooked a paw around Sarabi's cub, pulling him protectively away from the cliff edge.

"Leave Tasa alone," the half grown cub demanded, staring hard at the evil dictator. Scar's green eyes flickered in surprise at this small retaliation, but quickly regained his composure.

"What did you say?" he growled at the smaller lion, advancing with a cool look in his eyes.

"You heard me," Etari responded, surprised at the calm in his voice. For the past months Scar had totally dominated him with threats, but now…. "Stay away from him." He snarled.

"Was the an order!?" the king hissed springing at the cubs in anger. Etari skirted to one side to avoid the attack, quickly spinning around to face Scar. Suddenly a look of terror appeared on his face—Scar now stood beside the defenseless Tasa.

"No…" Etari breathed in fear, his eyes growing wide.

"I think you've just given me a perfect opportunity youngster," Scar murmured with glee, running his paw, claws out, roughly over the baby prince. "It would be so…so easy for the young prince to slip," and here the king paused, roughly jerking the cub to within an inch of the edge. "to slip and fall. The queen will be just crushed that she chose such an incompetent cub," the king stressed the last word, scoffing at Etari's youth. "to take care of her heir."

"Don't you…" Etari started, crouching to spring.

"I told you never to give me an order!" With that outburst the king dug his claws into Tasa's golden back, making the prince cry in pain before Scar flicked his paw, sending the cub flying off the edge of pride rock.

"NOOOO!" Etari screamed dashing forward. Desperately the half grown lion flung his front paws over the edge, trying to catch the falling cub. For a moment one of his claws snagged on the furry coat, but Tasa's falling weight pulled him free from the hook. "Nooo…" Etari whimpered, tearing his eyes away before the prince hit the ground.

* * *

"Tasa." The cub groaned and covered his ears with a paw to block out the voice. "Tasa sweetie wake up." Sarabi gently nudged her son with a soft nose, breathing gently on him as she did so. 

"Don't wanna," the fuzzy cub murmured, blinking up at her with unfocused amber eyes. "Where's Etari mama?" Tasa asked a bit more coherently as his vision began to clear. "We were on top of pride rock and…." His voice trailed off, he couldn't remember what had happened, but it seemed so important.

"Hush little one," Sarabi whispered, Tasa was still confused enough that he missed the shaking in her voice. "Come on, let's get you into bed."

"But where is he mama?" the prince asked again, struggling to his feet on limbs that were still uncoordinated by youth. Sarabi hesitated, then without looking Tasa in the eyes explained,

"Etari needed to go out and find some new herds for us to hunt, he won't be back to awhile. He's sorry that he didn't get to say goodbye but your were sleeping. Now come, let's get you into the cave." Gently the queen picked up the gold colored cub, his tuft of red man falling into his eyes as she carried him into the shelter of the cave.

"Thank goodness he's ok!" Tasa faintly heard the old lioness Miehka breath as the queen and prince entered, but he was too tired to really care about what was going on around him. Sarabi set him down in their normal place, and curled herself protectively around him.

"Where's Tenabi? How is she?" Tasa felt his mothers words rumbled in her chest as he lay next to. Even the bruises on his body from the fall couldn't keep him awake though, and the cub drifted off as the lionesses continued to talk in urgent, hushed whispers.

"She's mourning down by the acacia grove, I wouldn't expect anything more. I left Jarelle with her just in case." Miehka replied, looking down sadly at the queen and her son. "How about the prince, is he really ok?"

"He's only bruised so far as I can tell," Sarabi answered, licking her youngest son gently and with a relieved look on her face. "Sarafina thinks he must have hit the tree boughs first and then fell to the ground. Otherwise he wouldn't be alive, falling from that height."

"You don't believe Scar's story do you?" Miehka growled, her voice rising in anger. "That they were playing and Tasa slipped, and Etari fell trying to catch him?" The look in the elder lioness' eyes clearly showed that she felt the red king had fed them a perposterous lie. Sarabi didn't answer for a moment, merely tucking Tasa in closer to her and licking the red fur on his head flat.

"I do believe him," she finally said.

"What!?!"

"I believe Scar." Sarabi replied firmly. "Because it is my child who lives, and who I want to keep on living. I will believe and live whatever lies I need to in order to keep him safe."

"And you think acting as though Scar is innocent will save Tasa?" Miehka was angry and confused, wondering if maybe it was the queen who had hit her head on the rock instead of the prince.

"I said that I would live a lie," Sarabi continued calmly "But not that I would throw all caution to the winds. Tasa will be safer if I follow Scar instead of oppose him." Tears welled in her eyes as she looked down at the sleeping cub. "Simba, Etari….I do not know how many more cubs will die under his reign, but I must do what I can to protect those still here. Tasa must not know what happened today. If he thinks that Scar killed Etari he will find himself face to face with an angry Scar." The queen paused and her last words came out as a whisper, "We both know what he will do."

"The sacrifices we make for our children," Miehka sighed as she turned away. "Fine then my queen. I will take it then as my orders to stand guard over the prince, and at the same time keep the king from thinking I hold such a deep grudge against him."

"Thank you Miehka," the queen replied sincerely.

"He's worth it Sarabi," the other lionesses answered, still facing the entrance to the cave. "Just like my grandson Etari was." She padded forward in the dark, and Sarabi watched her settle down just inside the cave entrance, a solid sentry against the danger. The queen lay her head down once more, conscious of Tasas' fur against hers, and thankful for one more day with him.


	2. A Mothers Anger

**Ch. 2- A Mothers Anger**

"Mom, mom, get up mom!" Tasas' demanding voice forced its way through Sarabis' dreams.

_Five more minutes,_ she groaned silently to herself.

"Come on mom, you promised to take me out today!" Tasa jumped clumsily onto his mothers' back and began batting at her ear with a velvet paw. "Please?" Laughing the queen rolled to her side and scooped him onto her belly.

"Only if you promise not to laugh," she challenged the golden cub, tickling him mercilessly.

"Ahh! Not fair!" he yelped, fighting the urge to laugh and failing. Smiling the queen and prince roughhoused for a minute until Tasa couldn't breath from laughing so hard. Panting hard he grinned up at his mother, golden eyes glimmering in the dawn light just filtering into the cavern. "Now can we go?"

"Sarabi I need to talk to you," Miehka said gently as she intruded on the mother and child.

"What is it?" Sarabi asked, getting to her feet and stretching the stiffness from her muscles.

"We need someone to lead the hunting party for today."

"Didn't we already assign someone to do it?" The queen looked at the elder lionesses, confused.

Nodding her head slowly Miehkas' answering voice was quite, "Yes…Tenabi was supposed to be in charge today."

"Oh…" Sarabis' answer seemed to hang in the still air of the cave, as both lionesses stood, tears threatening in their eyes as they remembered the tragedy of yesterday. Then the queen gathered herself, lifting her head high, "Of course she needn't go then. I'll take the hunting party out myself."

"Mom you can't!" Tasa interjected, both lionesses had almost forgotten he was present. "You promised you'd take me all over the pride lands today!" The heartbroken look on the cubs face almost made Sarabi lose her resolve.

"I can take them out Sarabi," Miehka voiced, looking understandingly at Tasa. "Then you and your son can spend some time together." The look she gave the queen was meant to remind Sarabi how close she had come to losing her own cub the other day.

"No," the regal lionesses replied firmly.

"Mom!"

"Hush Tasa!" She scolded gently. "Tenabi needs some time to…." The lionesses struggled to find the right words, "to get used to Etari being…gone. You can stay and play with the other cubs today and sometime soon we'll go out and explore the pride lands." Tasa looked ready to pout and put up a fight but a fierce glare from his mother shot down any real tantrum. Instead the cub merely grumbled softly to himself, scratching angrily at the stone beneath his paws.

* * *

"Scar I need to talk to you," Sarabi held her voice steady as she walked into the dusky cavern, dropping the haunch from a freshly killed zebra near the king.

"Well Sarabi, how pleasant to see you, and you've brought me a snack!" the king replied, lazily pulling the food toward him. He gave the former queen a blank stare as he chewed, mouth open. Sarabi cringed inwardly at the disgusting sight of half chewed food, but she forced herself to continue.

"I want you to leave my son alone," she met his eyes with a hard stare.

"Now why should I need to do that, the boy is my nephew," Scar replied, taking another large bite.

"Quit playing me for a fool," Sarabi growled, straining to keep her temper in check. "I know it wasn't an accident that Etari died." Scar flicked his gaze over to her for a moment, and then turned back to his meal, pretending indifference. Despite what she had told Miehka the other night Sarabi knew that Scar was responsible for the other cubs death. But she also knew that the only way the rest of the cubs could be safe was if she struck a deal with the king.

Sarabi continued, adding in a grim mutter, "You've made your point, you are the king. But we'll only follow you on one condition…" Here the queen drew herself to her full height, towering over the king as he lay on the stone floor of the cavern. "Leave the rest of the cubs in this pride alone Scar. If you do I pledge my allegiance to you, and I will turn a blind eye to all that you have done so far. The other lionesses will follow my lead."

"It's normal for a male to kill all cubs when he gains power in a pride." The thin lion retorted nonchalantly, sucking the last juices from his toes. Sarabi almost roared in frustration, barely managing to keep herself silent, though her muscles twitched from the angry energy. "I'll think about it," Scar replied, yawning as he stood up and began to saunter out of the cave. As he passed her Sarabi refused to meet his eyes.

"You want to make this deal," she said firmly. "Otherwise you will find yourself in a sad state."

"Are you threatening me?" the king growled in anger, unsheathing his claws as she turned slowly to face him. Sarabi didn't answer his question, instead she said,

"It doesn't matter if you are king in name, the pride still follows me as their queen. Leave the cubs alone and I will continue leading them down this dreadful path you have chosen for us. Otherwise you will find yourself in a land with few hunters and just as many hungry mouths." King and former queen merely stared each other down for several minutes, neither moving a muscle. In his eyes Sarabi saw that Scar recognized that she was right, but she knew he would never admit that he needed the lionesses to follow him willingly.

"We'll see," he growled again, turning to exit. This time Sarabi kept silent as he disappeared outside, and when she could no longer see him the queen let out a shaky sigh of relief. She shivered in fear as she closed her eyes and prayed to the great kings of the past to keep her son safe.

* * *

"But why can't we go there?" a cream colored cub asked, bouncing with excess energy.

"I already told you Cali, we're going to the river." The teenaged Nala rolled her eyes and sighed already tired from the cubs' boundless energy.

"But we wanna go play hide-and-seek in the rock piles!" whined Kryptek, lashing his red-orange tail in frustration.

"Keep whining and you'll all have to go back and be stuck at Pride Rock while Miehka watches you!" another young lioness, Jarelle, growled down at the cubs. They flinched and looked down at their paws, though each shot their guardians small glares when they thought neither of the teenagers was watching.

"Hey Tasa, what's eating you?" the girl cub finally asked, tired of giving the older cubs dirty looks.

"Huh?" the prince started, flipping his tuft of red hair over one eye as he turned to look at her. "Oh, sorry Cali, I was just wondering if my mom's ever going to actually take me around the Pride Lands."

"Of course she will, you're mom's cool like that," Kryptek broke in as he pounced on an ant that was marching across their path.

"Ok we're here!" Jarelle sang out happily when they reached the rivers' edge. She and Nala reminded the cubs to stay within sight and then the two teenagers settled down on a sunny rock nearby.

"Aww man, it's so boring here!" Cali grumbled, swiping the pebbles on the shore with a paw so they skipped across the waters surface.

"Don't worry, they'll get distracted in a bit and we can sneak off." Kryptek replied, an impish grin growing on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Tasa asked his playmate, confused.

"Just pretend like we're playing," Kryptek hissed, quickly beginning to skip rocks like Cali. Tasa started scanning the ground and wandering along the beach, pretending he was looking for more stones while actually keeping an eye on their babysitters. Several gazelle suddenly bounded down to the water several yards downstream, pausing to drink deeply without seeing the young lions. Nala spotted the animals first, and signaling Jarelle with her tail slid noiselessly down from their perch to stalk the herbivores. The other young lioness hesitated, her eyes darting to the apparently busy cubs on the rivers edge, before she slipped after her companion.

"Let's go!" Cali hissed, racing up the bank and onto the edge of the savannah without waiting for a reply. The three cubs bounded towards the jumbled rock piles that dotted the landscape near the elephant graveyard border.

"It'll be forever before they realize we're gone!" Cali crowed with glee, her paws barely touching the ground before she leaped up again, so excited was she by their escape. Tasa laughed at her, running forward to brush against her side and almost knocking her over. Playfully they ran through the savannah grass, occasionally trying to trip or knock one another over as they raced.

"Hey, where's Kryptek?" Tasa suddenly said, slowing his paws and turning back the way they had come.

"I dunno," Cali answered as she looked back curiously. When they had waited for nearly a minute Tasa began to worry and started trotting back.

"Kryptek?" he called, pushing through the long dried grass. "Krypt where are you?" Cali followed after him, also calling for the red-orange cub.

"Shhh!" The sharp hiss startled both youngsters, and Cali leaped back in fear as Kryptek suddenly stuck his head through the grass. "Come see what I found!" he whispered excitedly, disappearing again into the foliage. Curiously Tasa followed him Cali hot on his heals. The grass grew progressively shorter, and when it was hardly long enough to cover the ground Kryptek motioned for them to crouch low as he led the way. The cubs belly crawled and lined up along the edge of a dried up wallow, sunk down into the ground and just starting to turn green with new grass. Two hyena pups scuffled at the bottom of the dusty hole, barking happily at each other as they wrestled.

"Let's sneak attack them!" Cali whispered to the boys, her eyes lit with excitement. Kryptek looked utterly shocked by the idea, but Tasa smiled and nodded.

"But…" Kryptek stuttered.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Tasa encouraged him quietly, shifting from paw to paw in anticipation.

"Nala really doesn't like hyenas, I think we should stay away." Kryptek replied uncomfortably. He was the type of cub that preferred to play alone and so when he was with the others was unsure how to act in situations like this.

"I don't know what her problem is, hyenas aren't so bad, we see them every day. Come on!" The prince encouraged the sunset colored cub. Finally he nodded and they slunk away from the edge to plan their attack.


	3. A Friend is a Friend

**Ch. 3 A friend is a friend-**

"I'm gonna get you Skadow!" The male hyena pup laughed out as he pounced at his sister.

"No if I get you first!" She grinned, shouting back and leaping forward too. The pups met with the thump of flesh on flesh, growling playfully as they wrestled. A small cloud of dust rose as they snapped at each other, ramming with their chests in an attempt to knock the opponent off their feet. The male reared up, throwing his front legs over his sisters shoulders and grabbing her ear in his teeth.

"Hey!" She yelped, craning her neck to try and free herself from his sharp teeth. "Leggo Spite!" the girl pup growled, heaving with her shoulders to throw her heavier brother off. Spites' hind paws slid out from under him and he lost his grip on her ear. Skadow slipped away, then turned to face him a safe distance away. Spite rolled to his feet, and the two siblings squared off again, panting slightly with excitement.

"Attack!" Roared a voice from overhead. The hyena pups flinched in shock as three lion cubs bounded over the dusty edges of the wallow, landing with grunts and puffs of dust. Coughing and sputtering Spite closed his eyes against the rising dust, struggling towards the edge where the air was clearer. Blindly the pup inched forward, jumping back in fright as his paws landed on something warm and wiggly….

"Snake!" He yelped, flying backwards through the air and crashing into another warm body. Whoever it was yelped in surprise, and the dust rose even thicker as numerous sets of paws scrabbled in fear to escape the steep sided wallow. Digging in hard with his front claws and pushing upward with strong hind legs Spite finally dragged himself above the dust and onto the savannah grass, coughing and bleary eyed. A lion cub suddenly appeared, his golden head appearing over the side just as he sneezed and slipped.

"Whoa!" Spite dashed and grabbed at the scruff of the cubs neck, pulling him upward until his paws found purchase on level earth.

"Thanks," the lion coughed, the red tuft on his head shaking with the violent motion. "I guess that didn't work as well as we planned," he looked up sheepishly at his savior.

"Spite, get us out of here!" Hearing his sisters angry voice the male hyena turned back to the edge, and saw another lion cub batting futilely at the grass, trying to haul herself out. He and the red-tufted cub easily pulled her up, off of Skadows shoulders. When the girl cub was off her back and safely over the edge Skadow took a few steps back and bounded halfway up the wall before she lost her momentum. Well practiced now, the male cub and hyena pup reached down and hauled her up the last steep part of the climb.

"Yuck!" Skadow spat in frustration when she got over the lip, "I'm never going to get all this dust out of my coat!"

"You've got that right," Cali replied, already trying to brush the dirt from her light colored coat.

"Guys what about me?!" wailed a pitiful voice from the depths of the dust.

"Kryptek!" Cali and Tasa chorused, peering over the edge once more. The dust was finally beginning to settle, and they could just make out Kryptek at the bottom of the hole. His normally bright orange-red coat was dull from the dust and he looked up unhappily at his companions.

"Get me out!" he pleaded.

"Serves you right!" Cali retorted, sticking her tongue out at him. "You're the one who thought up this dumb plan of jumping them in the first place!"

"Cali! That's not nice!" Tasa hissed, and added in an undertone, "It was your idea originally…"

"Don't worry, I"ll get him." Skadow jumped down again, instructing Kryptek to climb onto her shoulders so she could boost him out.

"What the heck were you guys thinking anyways?" Spite asked the two up above, slightly annoyed but also curious.

"We just wanted to startle you," Tasa replied sheepishly, watching Kryptek clamber clumsily onto the shoulders of the hyena pup. "We didn't think it would be so dusty!" he coughed again.

"Well I wasn't scared!" Spite retorted boastfully, reaching down and hauling Kryptek up by his scruff. Huffing and puffing the cub clambered over the edge and Spite released his grip. "At least until I stepped on the snake…"

"That was my tail," Cali spoke up, looking back at it and wincing.

"Sorry," Spite apologized as Skadow leaped up again.

"Hey! They should be the ones apologizing to us!" his sister barked out, looking angrily at the three cubs.

"We just wanted to have a little fun!" Kryptek replied, staring her down stubbornly.

"The hyenas are always trying to scare us, why can't we do the same?" Cali voiced. Skadow growled low in her throat and Tasa quickly stepped between his friends and the hyena pups.

"Stop it guys," he ordered, glaring at his friends. Turning to the dog like creatures he continued, "Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but we figured pups would be easier to scare than adults. Sorry it turned out so bad. We really just wanted to say hi…"

"No prob," Spite answered, grinning at the lion cub. "You saved Skadow here from being beaten by her brother again, she's just pretending to be mad."

"No way! They saved YOU from getting beaten by me!" Skadow retorted, but a playful grin was covering the anger on her face. Tasa laughed, surprised at how alike these two were to any lion cub siblings.

"Would you guys like to play with us? We were heading towards five stones to play hide and seek." The prince offered, looking hopefully at the youngsters.

"Sure!" Spite piped up immediately.

"But mom won't know where we went," Skadow broke in, looking worriedly around.

"She'll find us, five stones isn't too far away. Come on." Resolutely he began trotting away, Tasa quickly matching his stride to pace alongside.

"Ok, I'm coming," Skadow grumbled, jogging off after the lion cubs and her brother.

* * *

"Tasa! Cali! Where are you guys?" 

"Oh no!" Cali groaned, dropping low to the ground in an attempt to hide. "Jarelle and Nala found us!" The cubs and hyena pups had been playing hide-and-seek for almost an hour among the rocks, and were just getting ready for the next round.

"Ahh, I don't want to go home!" Tasa whined, peeking cautiously over the top of a boulder.

"So don't," Skadow supplied, peering at the approaching lionesses with him. After several games she had forgiven the three cubs for frightening them, and both she and Spite had become fast friends with them. "Stay here and play with us!" Tasa was just about to answer when Nala spotted Kryptek as he tried to slink out of sight behind a boulder.

"There you guys are!" The teenaged lionesses bounded over, scolding looks on their faces. "Come out here, now!" Meekly the three cubs minced out from their hiding places afraid to meet their guardians eyes.

"Do you three know how worried we were?" Jarelle growled, looking fiercely at the youngsters.

"We just wanted to play," Tasa mumbled, rubbing a paw in the dirt.

"And we made some new friends," Cali said, looking over her shoulder to grin at Spite and Skadow.

"Hyenas!" Nala gasped, then she bared her teeth and stepped protectively over the cubs. "Stay away from them!" she growled at the spotted pups.

"Perhaps _you_ are the one who should stay away from _them_," A cool voice drifted over the small crowd.

"Mom!" Spite yelped happily, bouncing over with Skadow to greet her. "Hello, little ones," she nuzzled them fondly, never taking her eyes off Nala. The young lionesses didn't say anything more, but stood her ground against the heavier built hyena.

"These are our new friends mom." Spite babbled happily, pointing to each cub in turn. "That's Kryptek and Cali, and that one's Tasa."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Siika," the mother hyena spoke again in her calm voice. Nala however still hadn't relaxed her stance, though she had covered her bared teeth.

"Time to go kids," the lionesses said firmly, nudging Cali in the direction of Pride Rock with her nose.

"But mom said we didn't need to be back until the sun touched the horizon!" argued the cub, resisting the push. Tasa nodded in agreement as Jarelle began to approach him to do the same.

"You've played enough today with those…hyenas," Nala spat the last word out and Siikas' eyes flickered angrily for a moment.

"Well if they can't play," the hyena spoke, keeping her voice calm. "How about a story?"

"I want to hear a story!" Cali answered happily, twisting herself away from Nala's nose to face Siika.

"I wanna hear one too!" Kryptek yelped, bounding over to stand by Spite, who was looking up eagerly at his mother.

"Well come then, I promise I will finish the tale so you can be home before your mothers begin to worry." Siika strode over to the rocks the cubs had been playing in and settled herself comfortably. Kryptek, Spite and Skadow all sat eagerly at her feet, and Cali bounded over to squeeze in next to the girl pup. Feverishly Tasa looked up at Nala, summoning all his courage.

"Please let us stay Nala. A story won't hurt anyone, and we won't tell our moms how you and Jarelle let us sneak off because you wanted to hunt." For a minute he thought she might just pick him up and carry him home, but finally the cream colored lioness sighed.

"Fine, one story." She said, looking distrustfully at Siika again.

"Yeah! Thank you!" Tasa exploded happily, jumping up to lick her thankfully on the cheek before racing over to sit next to Spite. _I still don't understand why she doesn't like hyenas _he thought as he plopped down next to his new friend. _Ok they smell kind of funny but they're not so different from us…_The prince let his thoughts trail off though as Siika began her story, he was so caught up in it that he didn't even see Nala and Jarelle slip in closer so they could hear too.

"Many years ago," Siika started, her voice building wondrous pictures in his head as she told the tale. "There was a lion prince named Ryza…."

* * *

_A/N- Sorry if this is short, but the story is too long to fit in this chapter as well. Anyways, some notes on this chapter: I feel as though Tasa and the other cubs would not dislike Hyena's like Nala and the others because they have never known a world without them. So please R&R, the more reviews I get the quicker you will hear the tale of the lion prince Ryza._


	4. Ryza's Reign

_A/N- Ok, here is the story of Ryza that you've all been waiting for. The story itself has been written in a differenty style than I'm used to, so please tell me if it works. Thanks!_

* * *

**Ryzas' Reign-**

_Many years ago there was a lion named Ryza, and he was prince of the Pride Lands. His sister, Mira, was the current queen and the prince was among her most esteemed companions. All the animals rejoiced when they saw the queen and prince proudly surveying the lands of Pride rock, their pelts glowing golden in the bright sun._

_In those days both lions and hyenas were in charge of the laws of the land. The lions (being stronger hunters) managed the prey and daily running of the prosperous Pride Lands, while the hyenas were the defenders of its borders, raised from young pups to fight and defend their land from invaders. This partnership suited both species fine, and though it was the lion who was named king or queen, the hyena leader was given the title Captain of War and had just as much power._

_Prince Ryza grew up with a young hyena named Zuma, who was the son of the current Captain of war. Together they played many pranks upon the elders and hid the shamans sacred objects, all in a playful companionship. Prince Ryza did not desire to take the crown from his sister and Zuma as well was content being second best to his mother as Captain. So it was that while they grew up there was stability and peace in the monarchy and the Pride Lands flourished._

_But it seems as though peace is always doomed to not last for long. Queen Mira was often gone, spreading news of the peaceful co-existence in the Pride Lands in the hopes that the practice would spread far and wide. In her absence Captain Tarzi was in charge of the pride lands with the mischievous help of young Ryza and Zuma. Once when Mira was gone for many weeks a border battle took much of Captain Tarzis' attention away from the running of the kingdom, and discord began to spread, unnoticed by the inexperienced Ryza and Zuma._

_Several lions felt as though they could fight to protect the kingdom as well as the hyenas that guarded its lush borders. They whispered into each other's ears of how they felt Queen Mira was too lenient with the scavengers. One lioness felt very strongly that there was no reason they needed to hunt for the hyenas as well as themselves. With growling threats she refused to share her portion of meat with a young hyena mother. For several days this continued, the young hyena was a quiet soul that did not want to trouble her superiors with what seemed such a small problem._

_But her young pups began to suffer when she could produce no more milk and the mother hyena could ignore the problem no longer. Anxiously she approached Captain Tarzi and told her of the lioness who had jealously kept meat to herself. When she saw the bone thin and sick pups, the hyena leader was shocked. Several of her lieutenants immediately began hissing for the punishment of the lioness._

_Tarzi commanded that no punishment would occur until the Queen returned, but tempers began to flare between the two species as the story spread like wildfire. The lions either believed the hyenas were lying or thought that their pride member had been right, and the scavengers had no claim to share the meat they killed daily. Tension grew, even when Queen Mira and an ambassador returned and were informed of the treason._

_The sleek lion queen commanded that the disloyal lioness be guarded and kept in solitude until the next evening so she would have time to think of a proper punishment with a cool head. Uneasily both lions and hyenas accepted the ruling, but the tension still rising between them caused coals of anger in their hearts to flare up._

_Before Queen Mira could cast her punishment, a male hyena broke through the guards and killed the unruly lioness. One of the sick hyena pups had died during the night, and their father blamed the lioness for withholding precious food from his mate. His actions sparked chaos in the uneasy realm. Lion and hyena clashed against each other, old friends were forgotten as they fought with tooth and claw for dominance._

_Valiantly Queen Mira and Captain Tarzi fought to break apart the fighters. As one they rushed to push apart the carnivores, dancing to avoid snapping teeth and slashing claws. But they were only two creatures and could not halt the flow of anger that had built up over the days. The green grass turned wet and red with blood as the two species tore at each other._

_In the midst of the battle Mira spotted Prince Ryza fighting his old friend Zuma, afraid of the regrets he would feel later when his rational mind returned Mira raced over to confront the young animals. But the blood of battle had slicked the stone of Pride Rock and the lithe queen stumbled and slid over the edge._

_The battle seemed to slow to a crawl as the lion queen fell, silently through the air. The crash of her body hitting the ground wrenched every head to look as she landed on the hard ground. Captain Tarzi howled in fear as she raced down to her friends side. But the regal lion queen was dead, lying broken on the bloodied grass of the land she had tried to rule peacefully._

_All the lions and hyenas were in shock as they approached the body, both Ryza and Zuma could not move a muscle they were so stunned. Mournfully the entire congregation wept, roaring and howling their grief at the loss of their queen. The strength of their cries rose as lion and hyena began to notice the bodies of other comrades killed in the battle, scattered in the torn up grass. Stiff legged Ryza and Zuma dragged themselves down to join their friends and family. When they stepped into the mourning circle of beasts Captain Tarzi turned to Ryza and told him that he was now King of the Pride Lands, crystal tears flowing freely from her eyes._

_Angrily Ryza cursed the crown, calling into the appearing stars of dusk that he would rather have his sister at his side than the Pride Lands beneath his paw. That night lion and hyena slept side by side at the base of Pride Rock, holding vigil for their beloved queen. When they buried her the next morning, Ryza stepped forward to say his last words. With Zuma at his side the new King said that he had decided to lay down the crown to the land, stating that any animal who could fight to kill his best friend did not deserve to be a ruler._

_The ambassador Aysa stepped forward then, looking the lion King in the eye as he told him that a land in anarchy was worse off even than a land held by a poor king. With the urging of his subjects Ryza sadly accepted to keep his crown, praying to the great kings to grant him a peaceful reign._

_It was the young hyena Zuma that voiced the solution; heartbroken he told the king that the best way to prevent such heinous acts again was to live separately. If lion and hyena each had their own land they would not be so likely to feel jealous of one another, each would be responsible for their own existence. Ryza embraced his childhood friend and they both cried without shame, knowing that they could not risk another massacre such as this. Solemnly the king granted half of pride lands to the remaining hyenas as their own, and watched mournfully as his friend led the wounded group over the new border. The lions remained behind, roaring sad goodbyes as their former comrades disappeared on the horizon._

"And that is the story of Ryza and the hyenas," Sikka's voice pulled Tasa back from his dreams of an older Pride Lands where lions and hyenas ruled side by side.

"That's silly," Nala scoffed, looking down her nose at the mother hyena. "Lions have always ruled the Pride Lands and hyenas have always been exiled on its borders."

"What makes you so sure that you know what occurred from before you were born young lion?" the hyena asked coolly, staring at the young lioness relaxing on top of a rock nearby. "Just because you have not heard that it occurred does not mean it did not happen. We hyenas still tell the story of Ryza, passing it from elder to pup, to remember why we live so contentedly in the barren land our home has become." Nala fell silent, looking away as she blushed in embarrassment. Siika watched her for a moment longer, her face still showing no signs of anger. Finally she looked at her pups and stood up. "Come on, Spite, Skadow. It's time we went home. Say goodbye to your new friends."

"Do we have to mom?" Spite whined, standing up and wagging his tail hopefully.

"It's time we left too," Nala spoke to the three cubs, slinking down from her perch.

"Do we have…" Cali started to protest, but a cold glare from the older lioness made the words die on her tongue.

"Thank you Siika," Tasa spoke gratefully, the manners Sarabi had drilled into him faithfully showing themselves. "That was a wonderful story."

"You're welcome young cub, perhaps some other time I can tell you another," the female hyena smiled kindly at him. Tasa nodded eagerly, then turned and trotted obediently to Nalas side as they started home.

"Now remember," Nala hissed in a whisper to the cubs. "Jarelle and I were with you guys the whole time."

"We know, we know!" Cali grumbled, rolling her eyes in exasperation. Suddenly though she spotted her mother returning with the rest of hunting party. "Momma!" she yelped, racing over the short grass to rub against her. Kryptek too raced forward to greet his mother, Nala and Jarelle following at a slightly more sedate pace.

"Well my boy, did you have fun today with the other cubs?" the voice startled Tasa and he jumped. "I'm sorry!" Scar exclaimed as he appeared from the shadows of the cave; "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You just startled me," Tasa replied, shifting uncomfortably. He didn't dislike his uncle, but he never felt at ease around him like with the other adults. Something about him just made Tasa feel as though he needed to be on guard at all times.

"What little games did you cubs play today?" The red king asked, sitting down next to the miniature Mufasa.

"We just played by the river," Tasa answered, scanning the hunting party for his mother. "And we ran into some hyena pups too," he added, reasoning that Nala had only said not to tell anyone that they had snuck away from her and Jarelle, she hadn't told him to keep Siikas' story a secret.

"Oh?" the king looked down at him with curious green eyes.

"Uh huh," Tasa said. "Their mother told us a really good story about how hyenas and lions used to live together in the Pride Lands, and why they had to seperate."

"Did she now?" Scar murmured, no longer looking at the cub beside him, but staring off towards the elephant graveyard. Finally Tasa spotted Sarabi approaching them from the plain and jumped to his paws to go greet her.

"Tasa wait one moment," Scar begged, meeting the cubs eyes as he paused. "You said that…that you liked the story?"

"Yeah, I thought it was really cool how they lived together. Nala didn't like it but I don't see anything wrong with hyenas." Tasa answered quickly, looking up at the king with big eyes.

"Well now," Scar smiled genuinely at the cub. "I'm very proud of you for being so open minded Tasa." The golden cub grinned happily at the praise. "Now why don't we go say hello to your mother?" Eagerly Tasa raced ahead, bumping into his mothers' paws because he was running too fast to stop.

"And did you cause more mischief today little trouble maker?" The former queen asked, licking the top of his head.

"Not really," he grinned up at her.

"Actually it sounds as though Tasa acted very much like an adult today." Sarabi stiffened as Scar spoke but Tasa was too excited to see her to notice.

"Mom can we play a game before bed? Please?" He asked, bouncing up and down.

"Sure Tasa, why don't you see if the other cubs want to play as well. Go on," she nudged him with her nose, keeping her eyes on Scar. "I'll be there in just a minute." Hurriedly Tasa sprinted over to the rest of the pride. As soon as he was out of earshot Sarabi intensified her glare. "What happened today Scar?" the regal lioness asked, her muscles tensed for action.

"Nothing my dear, you need to learn to relax," the red lion chuckled, nonchalantly eyeing the sharpness of his claws. "I hadn't seen my young nephew all day and was just eager to hear what he had been up to. Apparently the cub has his head in the right place, so don't you worry about any little, hmm, which word do I want? …Accidents. Yes, accidents. Tasa will be quite safe, so make sure that you and your dear lionesses keep on bringing home dinner. Goodnight." Without further explanation Scar moseyed back into the cave, and Sarabi could only watch him, wondering what she had missed. Quietly she padded back to find Tasa, pulling him aside from a face-making contest with Kryptek.

"What were you and Scar talking about sweetheart?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Why am I in trouble?" Tasa asked, looking nervous.

"No, I was just curious what you did that made him so proud," Sarabi said quickly.

"Oh," the cub visibly relaxed. "I just told him about a story we heard today, and how I thought it was cool that lions and hyenas used to live together."

"Oh, ok then."

"Mama what's wrong?" Tasa peered up anxiously at Sarabi.

"Nothing little one, shall we have some dinner?"

"Yeah!"

Later that night Sarabi set an exhausted Tasa down on the cave floor and he curled up immediately at her side, fast asleep. "Sarafina?" the queen called softly as her best friend walked in, shadowed by her half-grown daughter.

"What is it?" the other lioness asked, lying down nearby with her daughter.

"Actually I need to talk to Nala," the queen answered, looking the young lioness in the eye. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened today." Nala gulped nervously, twitching her tail uncomfortably. But after only a moment she blurted out the entire days adventures, it was not in her nature to lie to the queen. When she finished the story Sarafina scolded her daughter for letting the cubs wander off unsupervised, but Sarabi sighed in relief.

"No," she spoke softly. "I'm glad that is all that happened. If befriending the hyenas is what keeps Tasa safe than I will gladly let him do it."

"What!?" Nala exclaimed, her face screwed up in confusion.

"Shh!" Sarafina hissed softly to her daughter as Sarabi explained.

"As Mufasa's son he is safe only with Scar, not against him." Tears threatened to flow from her eyes as the queen continued speaking. "I have no problem with him befriending the hyenas if they can keep him safer than even we can."

"You can't be serious Sarabi!" Nala growled softly, astonishment plain on her face.

"In lean times one must take advantage of whatever allies are offered," the queen held her voice steady as she looked down at Tasa, sleeping in her front paws. "No matter what their outer appearance, a friend is a friend."

"I still don't like them," Nala muttered as she lay down her head.

"Neither do I," Sarabi said, glancing over her shoulder. "But unlike one of our own they have done no terribly wrong." She shot an icy glare in the direction of the sleeping king. "The least we can give them is a chance."

* * *

_ A/N- That's it, please R&R, I'm especially interested in how people thought the story told by Siika turned out._


	5. A Chance at Redemption

**Ch. 5- A Chance at Redemption**

A yearling lion cub raced through the early light onto the jutting point of Pride Rock. Skidding to a stop he took a deep breath of fresh air, staring hopefully up at the sky. "Oh man!" he muttered, looking disgruntled. "Doesn't look like it's going to rain today either."

"And did you think that the rain might run away if you had slept in just a little longer?" Sarabi mocked her rambunctious son as she padded over. Tasa blushed beneath his fur, the top part of his growing stripe of a mane falling into his eyes. "Irritated the cub blew it out of his face, setting himself companionably beside his mother.

"I was just so excited to go out and play with Spite that I couldn't sleep any longer! You did say we could go explore the termite mounds on our own…." Warily the prince looked sideways at his mother, as though afraid she might retract the permission.

"Do you guys promise to cross the river using the dam so Siika and I don't have to come and save you from crocodiles?" she asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

"Well we did want to count how many teeth the biggest ones had…" Tasa let the sentence hang unfinished, grinning impishly up at his mother. Sarabi laughed out loud and nudged him toward the ramp with her head.

"Get out of here you little rascal!" She smiled proudly as he yelled back his thanks, racing down the tan stone to the savannah floor. _He's growing so big,_ she thought, catching the flash of red from his growing mane. _Though I do wish he wasn't so thin,_ she frowned a little as Tasa disappeared into the long grass, heading towards the elephant graveyard to meet up with Spite.

"Sarabi!" Sarafinas' voice was surprised as she came out of the cave and saw the queen. "I didn't expect you do be up so early." Kindly the queen looked at her closest friend and explained,

"Tasa was too excited about his little adventure with Spite to let me dream of missing the sunrise."

"Did they go out alone?" Sarafina asked, her eyes showing a little concern. The other lionesses nodded,

"They're responsible boys, they'll be careful. And the hyenas won't bother Tasa," she added a little sadly. "They know they'll have to deal with Scar if they pester him at all."

"If food gets any scarcer they may not think it's worth listening to the king," Sarafina spat out the last word as though it tasted bitter on her tongue. Sarabi was silent, and a sad look clouded her face until Sarafina spoke up again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's fine 'Fina, I know it's true." the lion queen smiled and quickly changed the subject. "Now how are those newest cubs of yours?"

"Their eyes just opened this morning, come in and see!" Sarafina said proudly, turning back to the cave with Sarabi following her.

"Back already mom?"

"Yes, thank you for watching them Nala," the mother lioness spoke gratefully as she lay down by her nearly grown daughter, shifting two fuzzy cubs from Nalas' front paws to her own. Lovingly the lioness licked the lighter colored cub, "This sweet little girl is Kala."

"She looks just like you did when you were a baby," Sarabi whispered to Nala as they admired the sleeping cub.

"And this little man," Sarafina continued, nudging the male cub in front of his sister so they could see, "is name Kiveh." The queen gasped in shock as the male cub opened his eyes and stared directly at her. Except for the fact that his eyes were green instead of gold he looked exactly like Simba had.

"He…he's just like…" Sarabi began to say and found she couldn't get breath enough to finish.

"I know," Sarafina said gently, watching her best friend with concern. Nala shifted from paw to paw nearby, unsure how the queen would react to such a strong reminder of her first born son.

"May I hold him?" Sarafina nodded and picked the cub up gently by his scruff to deposit in the queens arms as she lay down. "Nala why don't you go out and soak up some sun before you need to go out with the hunting party?" The young lioness opened her mouth to argue, but relented with a sigh.

"Fine," she grumbled, turning and walking out of the cave. The two mothers giggled as they heard her mutter about never being included when they talked about the good stuff.

"She stills acts like a cub sometimes," Sarafina grinned as her oldest disappeared.

"That's not such a bad thing. Though it's seems like she really likes these two," Sarabi spoke, nuzzling the cub nestled in her paws.

"She does, of course they aren't quite old enough to annoy her yet either. She might change her mind then," the other lioness responded. The smile on her face faded though, growing sad as she watched Kala yawn and curl up tighter.

"What's up 'Fina?" the queen asked.

"I just…I just can't forget," her friend replied in a quiet whisper, head hanging low as though ashamed. "They're Scars' cubs, I can't get it out of my mind."

"That doesn't matter," Sarabi said firmly, locking her gaze on Sarafina. "They've only got half of Scars' blood, the other half is yours. And that is the side they're already showing the most," she added assertively.

"I know, I know," she replied, still staring at the cream colored cub before her. "But it's not just that…Sarabi don't you realize what this could mean?" The queen felt her face contort, puzzled by what her companion was trying to point out. "They're Scars' cubs," Sarafina repeated. "Did you ever wonder what Scar would do if he had his own heirs for the throne instead of Tasa?" Sarabis' heart skipped a beat and when it started again it felt as though her blood had frozen into ice. Dumbstruck she could only stare at Kiveh as he rested trustingly in her arms, green eyes curious.

_Scars' heirs…_the thought looped over and over in her mind and yet the queen couldn't look away from those green eyes—the same eyes the king had. Silently she wondered if her threat from so long ago would be enough to protect her son.

* * *

"I got it!" Two voices chorused as they pounded towards the base of Pride Rock and tagged a stone that was apparently the final marker for their race.

"I totally beat you Spite!" Tasa argued good-naturedly.

"Did not! I was like 3 paw steps ahead of you!" the hyena pup countered, growling playfully.

"I believe it was a tie," another voice interrupted.

"Hello Scar," Tasa said politely, turning to smile at the king before turning back to the spat with his hyena friend. "I still say I won," he grumbled with a smile.

Scar laughed, "So determined young cub. I was wondering if perhaps you would like to go for a walk with me, I'd like to teach you some things about the kingdom."

"Really?" Tasa immediately forgot about Spite, looking up at the king eagerly. At just over a year old he still had a bit of growing to do to match Scar in height, but already the cub was solidly built, if thin from lack of food. "I would love to!" He replied, golden eyes shining eagerly.

"Well let's get going then, come on," the king commanded, turning and walking away.

"See you later Spite," Tasa shouted back over his shoulder.

"Maybe we can play again tomorrow?" the hyena yelled back.

"Sure, bye!" The princeling replied, hurrying after Scar.

For the rest of the afternoon Tasa paced along beside Scar as they toured the Pride Lands. Though the cub knew the land near Pride Rock by heart it was entirely different to see it through Scar's eyes. He listened intently as Scar explained how the land was so empty due to the large herds that had grazed on it for several years until there was nothing left for them and they had starved. Tentatively the half grown said that he had heard it was because too many had been killed from having both hyenas and lions live in the Pride Lands. Scars' face tightening as Tasa brought this up, but the king quickly recovered and countered the cubs' fears. He explained that because of the drought it merely seemed like that, the real problem was from before the hyenas had come. In fact that was why he had originally invited them into the Pride Lands, to restore the order.

Fascinated, Tasa heard stories about how the land had brimmed with life during Scars' youth; lush, green and overflowing with prey animals. Tasa lost himself in the tale Scar told about when his mother, Uru, had taught him and his brother to hunt. How easy it had been to learn stalking with prey practically waiting for them at every turn.

"Uncle Scar," the cub asked when they settled down to rest near what had once been a large watering hole and had now mostly dried up. "What was it like having a brother?"

"What?" the king spoke sharply, startled.

Tasa flinched, but asked again, "What was it like having a brother?" Scar looked at him, a distrustful look on his face. "I'm just curious," the half grown remedied quickly, desperate to have the red lion lose that cold gaze. "I never got to spend time with my brother…sometimes I wonder what it would have been like…" Uncertainly he looked up at Scar again, soft eyes blinking as he waited for an answer.

Scar sighed, "I'm sorry Tasa, I didn't mean to snap at you." The king cleared his throat, staring at the horizon and seeming to gather his thoughts. Tasa waited patiently, he had spent enough time with Scar to know that it was best to wait for him to speak. "Having a brother….is a very big challenge." Scar began, and Tasas' face grew confused. "See Tasa, having a brother is not like having a best friend. When you have spent enough time with a friend or have a fight you can go your separate ways….with a brother you cannot."

"Didn't you…didn't you get along with my dad?" Tasa asked in surprise, as though the thought had never occurred to him. Again Scars' face flickered with anger, but he took a deep breath before answering, though he didn't look at the cub as he spoke.

"No, your father and I did not get along." Tasas' face fell as Scar continued, "Our father decided that we must do everything together, but the two of us thought very differently and argued much."

"I'm sorry," Tasa murmured, feeling as though in some way it was his fault. Scar turned his head to look at the half grown cub beside him, again seeing how much he resembled his brother. Inwardly the king seethed in anger at the many wrongs Mufasa had committed against him. Then Tasa looked up, his eyes still sad with the new knowledge about his favorite uncle and the father he had never known and Scar was dragged back to reality.

"There's no need to be sorry," Scar spoke, shifting suddenly into the kinder personality he displayed only around Tasa. "You may look like your father, but in actions you two could not be further apart."

"What do you mean?"

"For one your father would never listen to me. He was extremely stubborn and bull headed. He always felt that he was right and never wanted to hear my side of the story. He felt that just because he was the oldest and first in line to be king that he could do no wrong. It didn't help that our father treated him so specially either," Scar muttered the last part in a rough tone. Then he gathered himself again and added, "You on the other hand," the king grinned fondly down at his young companion, "are an excellent listener."

"I like having you teach me things, you know a lot," the cub responded, his voice sincere. Slightly wary he asked, "Was my father really that stuck up?"

"Even kings have their flaws," Scar said solemnly. Tasa was quiet for a minute, staring thoughtfully at his reflection in the water.

"You don't have any flaws," he finally said, turning to face the king with a honest expression on his face. Scar threw back his head and laughed loudly, black mane shaking from the violent movement.

"You're just flattering me," he gasped in between breaths of laughter. Tasa grinned as the red king fondly ruffled his half mane with a velvet paw. "Thank you though," Scar said, favoring the boy with a small smile. "But I think that it's time we went back now, your mother will be wondering where you are." The cub nodded in agreement and the two of them set off for Pride Rock.

Zira saw Scar returning, and frowned when Tasa dashed from his side to find Sarabi. Heavily, because of her big belly, the kings' mate heaved herself to her feet and waddled up to him. "Scar," she called out.

"Zira, how are you? No cub yet?" The king responded, looking expectantly at her stomach.

"No, but that's why I want to talk to you," the lioness spoke back sharply. "I don't like you spending so much time with that cub of Sarabis." Scar frowned but Zira refused to be silenced. "What are you going to do when our son is born, hmm? Will you let your nephew take the throne before your own flesh and blood?"

"Of course not," Scar growled. "But we don't even know if it's a male, I won't have some silly female taking the crown," he added, the look he shot Zira daring her to contradict his thinking. Other than narrowing her eyes the lioness refused to rise to the bait. "Our child will be king," Scar continued, "but if Tasa continues to see me as a friend then that is one less contender for the throne that we must worry about."

"It would be easier to kill him!" Zira hissed softly so none of the nearby pride members could hear. Scar flinched and turned angry green eyes on her,

"You won't touch him," he growled back but the lioness continued,

"Why not? What's stopping you?" She kept matching his gaze as she spoke, refusing to stop. "You regret what you did to Mufasa don't you?" understanding suddenly dawned on her face. "Do you think sparing Tasa will make up for killing your brother? He isn't Mufasa Scar, no matter what he looks like!" her voice rose several decibels before she regained enough control.

"That's enough!" He roared to silence her, catching the attention of several lionesses nearby. "Silence," he commanded, regaining his composure. "I did what I had to do," he told her in a whisper, adding with a quiet growl, "and I have no regrets. Now get out of my sight." Scar strode past her, paws stomping angrily on the hard packed rock. Fuming the king lumbered to his favorite spot near pride rock, a shelf around one side that was always shaded from the sun and far enough away from the main cave to be quiet.

_I don't have any regrets,_ he thought fiercely to himself as he flopped down._Mufasa deserved what he got, everything I told Tasa about him was true! He never did listen to me…he didn't even listened to dad if he thought he could get away with it._ Scar snorted, his face calming as he convinced himself that he was right and Zira was wrong._I can't risk Sarabi turning the lionesses against me though,_ he admitted. _Letting Tasa live is a small price to pay for that. Zira's wrong though!_ Angrily he swatted a loose stone with a paw and heard the satisfying crunch as it shattered against the solid wall behind him. _It's not that I want to relieve my youth with Mufasa…though if he had been anything like Tasa we never would have had this problem!_

Scars' face grew puzzled as he thought this. Even to himself he would hardly admit how he truly felt around the half grown. He felt like a teenager again, roaming the plains with Mufasa before they became fierce adversaries for their fathers' limited attention. _It's just because he looks just like him that's all it brings back memories, _The king convinced himself, absent-mindedly scratching an itch. _But Zira's wrong, there's no need to kill him. If I don't the lionesses will continue to follow me, and keeping Tasa close to me will prevent him from trying to take the throne. It's all just like I planned it. _Comforted the king laid his head on his paws, letting out a huge sigh as he closed his eyes.

* * *

A/N- Sorry I took so long to update, I hope I made up for it with a slightly longer chapter. Anyways here's some explanations/disclaimers: Hopefully I didn't make Scar come off as too nice, I'm not one of those people who thinks he's merely understood. But I thought that because Tasa looks so much like Mufasa it would be easy for Scar to get lost in memories of the past where things weren't so bad. And just maybe he might feel as though he got a second chance to make things right by spending time with Tasa. Anyways, tell me how you think it worked out! Thanks for reading! 


	6. A Grave Accident

**Chapter 6- A Grave Accident**

"So what do you want to do?"

"I dunno, what do you want to do?"

"I asked you first!" Tasa shot back, glaring at Kryptek.

"Hey, I'm perfectly happy just lying here doing nothing!" The red-orange cub retorted, stretched out on his back in the grass. He craned his neck backward and looked at Tasa with a jaded expression, black mane brushing the dusty earth. "If you're so bored go find something to do!"

"Maybe I will then," the golden lion grumbled back, getting to his feet. "No wonder no one ever wants to play with you Kryptek, you're boring." With that the Tasa stomped off, his small mane quivering with the concussion of each step on the packed ground. The young lion hadn't taken too many steps though before he sighed and looked back over his shoulder. "I should apologize," he said to no one in particular. "Stupid heat's making me cranky," Tasa muttered, just as the noise of laughter drew his attention. Curious the lion padded around a strand of trees and was almost run over by a cream colored cub.

"Watch out Tasa!" Kala yelped, just dodging his front paws. "Nuka's going to tag you!" she giggled as she darted away. Caught off guard the half grown merely watched her run by, but as Nuka appeared in hot pursuit his brain clicked back into gear.

"Hey, hey, wait just a minute! Are you guys out here alone?" Tasa exclaimed, catching Nuka with one paw and restraining him as he tried to race by. He looked down at the scrawny cub, waiting for an answer. When Nuka nodded reluctantly the older lion gave a mental groan, "Kala come back here."

"No way, he'll tag me!" the girl countered, peering cautiously from behind a boulder.

"We're in a time out," Tasa told her with a noisy exhale, "Where's your brother?"

"Somewhere around here…" the cub answered, shrugging as she walked out of her hiding place

"Kiveh come out please," Tasa sighed in a tired voice. Meekly the gold cub appeared from behind a thick clump of grass, mouth open in an apologetic grin. "You three know you're not supposed to be out here alone," Tasa scolded as they lined up before him. Nuka looked down at his paws, and Kiveh pretended to have an itch as soon as Tasa looked sternly at him.

"We just wanted to play!" Kala answered, face set in a stubborn pout. "And we're not that far away!"

"That's not the point!" Tasa spoke loudly, staring back at her. "With all the trouble from the drought a lot of the animals aren't thinking straight, you guys could easily get hurt out here."

"Sorry, we didn't mean to cause trouble," Nuka spoke sincerely, blinking up apologetically at the older cub.

"Come on, let's get you three back quick" Tasa said in a more gentle tone, grinning mischievously down at the youngsters. Kiveh looked up at him, eyes crinkled in confusion by the expression. Tasa winked at him, "If we get back quick enough your moms don't have to know!" The twins and Nuka smiled broadly up at him and the small group turned to leave. Kala bounced ahead, still full of energy, and when Tasa assured Nuka and Kiveh that he wasn't really mad at them all three cubs raced in happy circles around the half grown as they headed towards Pride rock.

"Hey watch it!" a female voice boomed out, followed by Nuka apologizing profusely.

"I'm sorry! I didn't see him!"

"Nuka?" Tasa called anxiously, running forward a few steps to a break in the long grass where the cubs had disappeared a moment ago. As he broke free the young lion saw Nuka standing apologetically by a female water buffalo as she anxiously licked her baby. "What happened?"

"I accidentally jumped on him, I didn't mean to!" Nuka sputtered obviously shocked.

"Everything's fine. He's not hurt, just a little surprised," the mother began to explain, her face calm now that she knew her baby was uninjured.

"No! Everything is not all right!" A deep voice bellowed out and Tasa flinched involuntarily. Kiveh and Kala suddenly appeared, scrambling to the safety of his front paws and peering out as an immense male buffalo stomped over. Tasa gulped but squared his shoulders to address the beast.

"I'm sorry, but it sounds like it was just an acci…" he began but was quickly cut off by the angry animal.

"Stupid lions, you think you can just interfere in everyone's' lives! Well leave my family alone!" The bull snorted angrily, pawing at the earth with a sharp hoof.

"It was an accident!" Tasa retorted, angry at being cut off. Immediately he regretted his sharp reply as the large animal sent snot flying with a furious snort and shook his head so hard that his horns sliced noisily through the air.

"There you go again! Trying to order the rest of us around!" He bellowed, now stabbing at the ground with both hooves and rearing a bit. "Get away from my family!"

"Run! Go home!" Tasa hissed quietly to the cubs, who scuttled away, paws flying in every direction. Then the young lion turned to face the angry buffalo again, "Please calm down, we're leaving now."

"Not fast enough!" The angry male bellowed again and charged.

"Yeow!" Tasa yelped, spinning and racing away with the beast pounding at his heals. Feverishly the half grown lion raced as fast as possible, legs stretched so far out that his belly skimmed mere inches from the ground. "Help!" He shouted, wondering desperately if anyone was near enough to hear him. Behind him the water buffalo snorted, and Tasa risked a glance over his shoulder and saw an angry red glint in the approaching eyes. Terrified he put on another burst of speed, dodging boulders and trees from instinct alone he was flying to fast. A bright blur of color flew by on the edge of his vision and suddenly there was a great crash and bellow of distress.

"Don't just stand there! Move!" Kryptek hollered from his perch on the animals' side. Apparently his friend had heard Tasas' cry for help and caught the angry male off guard and knocked him over with a desperate lunge.

"Stupid felines!" the water buffalo screamed in fury, jerking his neck to jab at Kryptek with his horns.

"Look out!" Tasa hollered to his friend. But he could only watch, horrified, as one of the desperate jabs connected on the face of the other lion. Kryptek roared in pain and anger, losing his grip and sliding to earth. Without thinking Tasa dashed forward, swiping a paw full of dirt into the eyes of their adversary. The fallen buffalo bellowed once more, but the lion ignored him, grabbing Kryptek by the scruff and dragging him away.

"I can't see, I can't see!" His friend cried, and Tasa felt sick as he caught sight of the mess of blood and dirt on his face.

"I'll guide you, but we have to get out of here now!" he spoke quickly, pushing Kryptek forward with his shoulder and guiding him at the same time. The two youngsters stumbled away fairly rapidly, but as soon as they could no longer hear the angry buffalo Kryptek sank to the ground, whimpering in pain.

"You've gotta get up," Tasa said anxiously, trying to nudge the other lion to his feet. "We need to get further away." Though his friend was shaking and whimpering he got Kryptek to his feet, and with the other cub leaning heavily on him as they began the trek back to Pride Rock.

"Tasa! Tasa where are you?"

"Mom!" he cried out, tears brimming into his eyes with joy at her voice.

"Oh Tasa, you're ok!" Sarabi choked out, gasping as she spotted Krypteks' bleeding face. "Oh no!" The former queen rushed the last steps toward them, immediately beginning to sooth the young lion with comforting words as she inspected his wound.

"Sarabi did you find them?" Sarafinas' head appeared from behind a boulder, and she let out an audible gasp when Kryptek turned his face toward her. "Oh, poor thing!" She too rushed forward eyes open wide with anxiety. "Are you ok Tasa?" The gold cub nodded in response, still supporting Kryptek with his shoulder.

"How did you know we were out here?" he asked, still panting from the chase.

"Those cubs of mine made it home in about ten seconds they were so scared." Sarafina explained, letting out a sigh and closing her eyes in a silent prayer.

"Let's go home and get this cleaned out," Sarabi said, moving to support Kryptek on the other side while Sarafina took Tasas' place and they padded slowly homeward.

Several hours later Kryptek lay just within the cave, sleeping thanks to some herbs from Rafiki. His mother was pressed close against her son, eyes fixed on him with an intensity that made Tasa scared to look at her. His own mother was sitting calmly beside him, cleaning a bit of dirt from one haunch. Tiredly the half grown let his own head rest on the cool stone, catching sight of Kiveh and Kala sleeping in Sarafinas' front paws through half lidded eyes.

When they had returned the three little cubs had been so terrified that Sarafina hadn't had the heart to scold them for causing the trouble in the first place. Sarabi and Krypteks' mother had cleaned off his wound while Jarelle had run to fetch Rafiki. Zira had swooped in at some point, roughly picking up Nuka and saying she didn't want him playing with any cubs that would put him in such danger. Tasa cracked open an eye as he heard paw steps outside.

"What's going on?" Scar asked loudly, green eyes darting around the cave as he spotted Kryptek and padded over to him. The king gasped loudly as the young lion shifted from the loud noise and knocked off the poultice Rafiki had put on his eye. Tasa looked away. Even after Rafiki had finished Kryptek had still ended up with a messy gash above one eye, and it made the prince queasy to see all the blood.

"What happened?!" Scar half roared, half growled, and Tasa was struck by the simultaneous anger and terror in his voice. "Who was with him?" the king asked, turning to face the pride.

"I was," Tasa answered wearily, pushing himself into a sitting position. "The little cubs made a water buffalo angry and it chased us."

"A water buffalo!" Scar hissed in surprise, but Tasa was too tired to wonder why that fact was so significant. Instead he merely nodded a confirmation and continued speaking,

"Kryptek knocked it over with a leap, but the thing gouged him with its horn. It was all an accident." Wearily the half grown lion looked up at the king, but Scar didn't seem to see him.

"A water buffalo…he got a scar," the king muttered, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly though he jerked his head up and looked at Tasa, "You were there?"

"Yes…" Tasa replied, hadn't he already said that? But then Scar was lost in his own mind again, staring at the injured Kryptek and muttering to himself.

"Tasa, come outside," his mother whispered urgently in his ear. Groaning slightly from the pain in his stiffened muscles the gold lion followed her. "You need to go and stay with Siika for a little bit, get away from here," Sarabi spoke as soon as they were outside.

"Huh?" he asked, utterly confused. "Why?" Sarabi didn't answer and the desperate look in her eyes sent a shiver down the youngsters' spine. "Mom…" Tasa questioned nervously, "What's wrong mom, why do I have to leave?"

"Please Tasa, just do as I say. I'll come get you when it's safe." The lioness met his gaze, pleading silently with her son to listen.

"Ok mom, I'll go," the young lion relented, turning tiredly toward the ramp.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I know you're exhausted," Sarabi nuzzled him tenderly. "I'll explain later, I promise." Tasa nodded, and slowly padded down the path. At the bottom he looked over his shoulder, his mother had already disappeared back inside. Wearily the cub began pushing through the long grass toward the Elephant graveyard as night fell on the land.

* * *

_A/N- I felt so bad about the long update that I did another chapter immediately, you can thank me later ;) Anyways, a little explanation about this chapter. I'm drawing from the story A Tale of Two Brothers, to back up why Scar reacts like he does. If anyone doesn't know the story feel free to pm me and I'll either explain it or find a link for you to read the story. That's it, thanks for reading and please **Review!**_


	7. Madness of the Red King

**Chapter 7- Madness of the Red King**

"Always off alone…never paying any attention … could have killed him…nobody cares…fatherless…the next king…" Scar rambled distractedly in fragments as he paced from the cliff edge to the vertical rock wall of his hideaway. Four strides forward, turn right in a sinewy curve, four strides forward, turn right in a sinewy curve; the red king aimlessly padded in circles as he talked aloud to himself. Suddenly the lion ruler froze, one leg stretched forward in preparation for his next pacing step. "Have I turned into my father?" he asked himself, disbelief and confusion warring against each other in his eyes as Scar stared at the smooth stone floor.

"My king, could I speak with you?" Zira interrupted his thoughts as she strode around the corner.

"I'm busy," the king hissed, resuming his irritated pacing. Zira gave him a small glare, but kept her voice steady.

"I thought that tomorrow you might take your son out and begin teaching him about running a kingdom," she asked, Scar paused as he suddenly noticed the skinny cub hiding behind his mothers' front legs. Nuka looked up at the red lion, a tentative smile appearing on his lips.

"That lump of fur barely has the brains to run his own life, much less a kingdom," the king spat, turning back to his circling once more. Zira growled instinctively as he insulted her cub, but was immediately silenced when Scar snarled at her. "Get that thing out of my sight, I need a REAL heir to run my kingdom," he commanded her, focusing his green eyes on the stone again. Zira sputtered for a minute, trying to find the right words to throw back at the king. Finally with an angry growl the lioness grabbed Nuka roughly in her mouth, the gray cub squeaking in surprise as she stomped back to the front of Pride Rock and left Scar to his ramblings.

"Stupid Mufasa," the thin lion mumbled, still pacing in his small circle as night fully descended over the Pride Lands. "He didn't try to save me from that buffalo, just like Tasa didn't try to help Kryptek!" Scar let a growl rumble out of his throat, throwing a nasty sneer down the path to the prides cavern. All evening he had been hiding out on his quiet ledge, mind looping endlessly over Krypteks injury, so similar to his own even in its method of attainment.

"How could I be so blind?" Scar cried in desperation, returning to his musing. "He's just like his father! How could I not see it?" the king ranted, sitting down roughly to stare at the night-covered lands. "Pitiful Kryptek, they never wanted to spend time with him, always leaving him to amuse himself," mulled the king, adding with a fierce growl, "Exactly as Mufasa always did to me!" Anger filled him until it burst forth as a roar that echoed across the savannah and the king couldn't sit still any longer and resumed his restless pacing.

"And now he's got a scar to mark him for life," mumbled the red lion, black mane swinging rhythmically with his strides. Lost in mental circles his eyes saw only enough to keep him from pacing off the edge. "Tasa's even got that big nose like his father," Scar griped to himself. "Stupid cub!" he growled again, voice rising in fury, "Making me live this again!"

_Terrified he raced away from the enraged buffalo, adrenaline pounding through his veins. He hadn't meant for the herbivore to chase him, the beast was supposed to go after Mufasa! But it wasn't the future king that was being chased, it was him, the deprived brother! "Taka!" his older brother called in fear but the red lion could only keep running frantically. Later his father scolded, seeming not to care about Takas' injured face while Mufasa watched silently from the sidelines. Completely enraged the red lion turned his back on his kin, denouncing his childhood name of Taka for Scar as he resolved to give up forever on trying to win his fathers' approval._

The crack of distant thunder wrenched Scar back from his memories and he eyed the flashes of approaching lightning with a cool stare. "Come and test me!" he called to the billowing clouds, "I will overcome your force the same as I have all the challenges placed before me! Give me your best!" The sharp wind rippled through his thin mane as the storm breezed closer, the dark clouds looming even higher as they approached. The red lion faced directly into the breeze, breathing deeply in the scent of rain it carried. "Come on," he challenged quietly, staring eagerly as lightning ripped from cloud to cloud and thunder echoed in his ears.

* * *

It was full dark before Tasa made it to where the hyenas camped out in the elephant graveyard, his aching paws stumbling over the loose bones that decorated the landscape. Thunder from the approaching storm pounded louder and louder in his ears as it approached, threatening to downpour at any moment. With a great effort the half grown lion picked up the pace, loping towards a cave entrance framed by part of an elephant rib cage.

"Spite, Skadow? Are you guys there?" he called in slight desperation as a raindrop struck him on the nose.

"Tasa?" came the inquisitive reply, followed seconds later by Skadows' frame outlined in the entryway, and then her brothers' stockier form. "What are you doing here?" the female hyena questioned as she motioned him inside as the rain began to pick up.

"Mother sent me," he explained, shaking a few drops from his fur and following the twins deeper into the earth. A ghostly green glow emanated from inside and as the three animals slipped into a large chamber the lion realized it was from one of the fiery geysers that dotted the area.

"It's warmer this way," Spite explained, when he saw Tasa looking nervously at the hissing flames. "This one doesn't explode too often, but stay a little back a little anyways." The golden lion nodded in understanding, then he was suddenly set upon by Siika.

"You're sopping wet!" exclaimed the mother hyena, squeezing some of the moisture from his mane with her muzzle. "And you look dead tired!" she continued, meeting his tired eyes. "Come lay down and tell me what's happened." Eager to rest Tasa sank down near a wall and told the attentive family about what had happened to Kryptek. Skadow whimpered in sympathy as he told them that the red-orange lion was now scarred for life.

"Poor boy," the female murmured quietly. Tasa nodded his red maned head and finished by saying that his mother had sent him away when Scar returned and saw Krypteks wound.

"So that's why you're here," Siika sighed raising her large eyes to meet his golden ones. "You can stay here as long as you need to friend of my pups."

"But I still don't understand why I had to leave!" Tasa cried out in confusion.

"This is what comes from keeping the young ignorant of past deeds," she responded, shaking her head. "Not that I have not erred same as your mother."

"Mom?" Skadow inquired. "What is it we don't know about?"

"It's time you all knew the truth," Siika spoke, taking a deep breath to gather strength. "I'm sure Sarabi would have told you now if she could Tasa. But since your mother cannot be here I will tell you myself." Resolutely and without halting the mother hyena told her pups and the young lion the history of Scar. How he had grown up infuriated by his brother being chosen as king, and eventually killed Mufasa and his son to gain the throne.

"Simba?" Tasa gasped in realization, "He killed my brother?" His golden eyes were wide with the shock, and despite the heat in the cavern he began shivering. Skadow inched closer to her friend, nuzzling him comfortingly.

"Yes," Siika answered him, hanging her head sadly. "Scar is king from treachery alone."

"But I still don't get why Tasa had to leave now. Scar hasn't ever done anything to him, he LIKES you!" Spite said looking at Tasa in confusion.

"Because what happened to Kryptek is almost exactly how Scar got his own mark," Siika explained gently, watching all three youngsters' jaws drop in surprise. "The king has always been plagued with a mind addled by rage. He no longer recognizes you as a separate being from your father," she spoke directly to Tasa, watching him closely. "Instead he sees only his dead brother and the ills done by him. If given the chance he may kill you same as he did Mufasa and Simba."

Tasa suddenly found it hard to breath as he lay on the damp stone. The young lion could only stare into Siikas' yellow eyes as his entire world of lies dissolved in the truth she poured on it.

* * *

"Immortality will be mine!" Nala heard Scar ranting as she approached the prides cave. Nervously the lioness looked over her shoulder, the rest of the pride was out hunting but she had stayed back, complaining of a sprained ankle for just this opportunity. Steeling herself she placed one paw before the other and entered the darkness within.

"Scar," Nala spoke resolutely, drawing herself up tall. Despite the shortage of food she had grown into a strong lioness and matched the king in height so she could meet his green eyes directly.

"Nala," he started, surprise at seeing her suddenly turning into a cunning grin. "Nala you're timing couldn't have been more perfect!" He exclaimed, eyeing her feverishly. "My, how you've grown."

"Scar you have to do something!" she began; she had to make the king understand just how desperate the situation was. Her mother and Sarabi had failed to get him to see their plight, but Nala was too strong-minded to give up without trying herself. "We're being forced to over hunt!" She spoke louder to be heard as Scar began rambling nonsense to himself. "You're the king, control the hyenas! They're destroying the Pride Lands! If we stop now, don't you see? There's still a chance for things to be all right again!" Suddenly the red lion turned to her, a hungry light growing in his eyes and nervously she asked him, "Wait, what are you doing? Are you listening to me?" Nala recoiled as the king advanced and finally heard the words he was murmuring to himself.

"We'll create a host of little scars!" he seemed to sing, eyeing her eagerly.

"Don't talk like that!" she gasped, retreating a step.

"Tell me I'm adored!" Scar commanded in a strange tone, looking at her in desperation as he stepped forward.

"Get away from me!" Nala warned, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"Tell me I'm adored!" ordered the king again. Frightened and angry the young lioness slashed him across the face in defense, then froze in shock at her own actions. "You know how I loathe violence." Scar spoke up when he recovered from the blow, his tone back to the angry one she knew so well. "One way or another you will be mine!"

"Never Scar! Never!" Nala cried out, racing from the cavern faster than his angry eyes could follow.

"You belong to me!" he called after her, "You all belong to me!"

* * *

_A/N- Ok this was an extremely short chapter, and then I decided you guys deserved more than that and added another thousand words! Hopefully it packs a punch, I feel like I got a few really good lines in here. Also all of the spoken lines in the scene with Nala and Scar are from the broadway play of the lion king and are not mine. _

_And if anyone gets a chance please visit my profile and vote in my poll about the Lion King. I'm debating about another lion king fic and want some input. Thanks, enjoy and please review!_


	8. Path of Regrets

A/N- Sorry for the long break between updates, a combination of Spring Break and schools tests will do that. But here it is, nice and long. And we've only got ONE more left! So R&R and I'll finish it up nice and quick, thanks for reading! 

* * *

**Chapter 8- Path of Regrets**

"Shh, you'll wake him up!"

"But don't you think he's hungry too?" The murmur of voices dragged Tasa back from his random dreams of the night. He blinked his eyes for a moment, confused by the gloom about where he was.

"Hey you're up!" Skadow yipped excitedly, bouncing over to the young lion. "We saved you some breakfast."

"What time is it?" Tasa asked groggily, pushing himself into a sitting position as the young hyenas trotted over. Spite dropped a mutilated chunk of meat in front of him and the red-maned lion suddenly felt a rumbling in his stomach and dove in hungrily.

"The sun's just up," Skadow answered, sitting down with Spite as they watched their friend consume his meal. "The morning border patrol should be back pretty soon."

"Border patrol?" Tasa queried, swallowing another shred of meat and licking his lips for the taste.

"Yeah, every morning and evening they travel around the graveyard borders to check for intruders." Tasa still looked confused, so Spite continued to explain. "Remember that story our mom told you when we first met?" The golden lion nodded as he snapped up the last bit of food. "Well it's kind of a tradition from back then," the male hyena finished, then after a slight paused added in an embarrassed undertone, "It's not like we actually need to worry about anyone wanting to get INTO this place…."

The lion felt a stab of pity for his friends as he remembered the bleakness of the elephant graveyard. Loud and concerned voices rumbled down the tunnel and the three youngsters shot confused glances at one another before racing to the entrance to see the cause of the commotion.

"Oh no!" Skadow whimpered in shock as they emerged into the dawn light. The border patrol had returned—but not exactly in one piece. The 5 hyenas were covered in fresh gashes, and one leaned heavily on the shoulder of a companion, her front paw a bloodied, mangled mess.

"What happened?" One of the adults asked urgently, dashing forward to inspect the wounded.

"There was some kind of wild dog," coughed out one of the patrol members, wincing from the pain. "It was strange though," he continued, straightening up to speak louder, "the thing didn't seem quite right. His lips were all foamy and his eyes didn't seem to be focusing. Rija here," the male motioned to a dazed member of the patrol, "tried to talk to him. Then that DOG attacked him! Unprovoked!" The hyena snarled furiously, digging his claws into the rocky soil. "The thing bit him right on the neck and drew blood without warning!" 

Several of the crowd gasped as Rija stumbled and the wound on his neck was revealed. The bite was ragged, right across the vertebrate of the neck so some of the yellow-white bone shone through even in the dim light of dawn. One of the other hyenas had apparently tried to clot the deep wound with some type of vegetation but it had only managed to make the bite look more gruesome.

"That's awful!"

"Did you kill it?"

"How would it dare to attack so many?"

The cries of outrage and hysteria echoed and were repeated among those crowded around the injured, and Tasa almost found himself adding to the angry howls. At his side Spite kept a continuous, rumbling growl and Skadow watched the patrol with a steel cold gaze.

"Eerggghhh…" the injured Rija rumbled, eyes closed as he shook his head slowly from side to side.

"Rija? You ok?" another member of the patrol asked with concern. The male in question slowly raised his head, blood beginning to ooze again from the wound with his exertions. His closed lids slowly opened, the yellow eyes beneath them staring in different directions and unfocused. "Rija?" the hyena repeated, taking an uncertain step toward the male. With a snarl the bit animal leaped forward and tore at the throat of his companion.

"Run!" Several voices in the crowd screamed, scattering in terror as the mad hyena dove into their midst. Catching their fear Tasa tried to flee, scrambling backwards on the loose bones and rock. Suddenly he tripped and landed hard on his side in the gray dirt. Claws clipped his shoulder as a frantic hyena jumped over him, trying to get to safety. Tasa flinched, closing his eyes for a split second. When the young lion opened them again a wave of fear washed through him as he saw Rija advancing toward him.

"No," he trembled involuntarily, leaping to his feet just as the mad animal charged and chased after him through the field of bones. Rija snarled, foam flying from his jaws as he pounded after the young lion. Spurred on by terror Tasa twisted and fled between the huge skulls and other bones that riddled the hyena settlement. The crazed animal followed closely on his heals though, powerful hindquarters propelling him forward in great leaps.

Tasa gasped raggedly as his lungs struggled to keep up with the demands of his muscles. He veered away from a yawning abyss too wide to jump, paws skidding on the bone fragments littering the ground as he turned tightly. In desperation the young male squeezed through the narrow space between two rib bones, hoping the muscled shoulders of the hyena wouldn't fit. The half-grown lion felt a wet fleck of spittle land on his hind leg as he bounded away from the rib cage, and heard an annoyed growl as Rija rammed into the opening.

"Oh no!" Tasa gulped out, golden eyes opening wide with fear. He'd run himself into a trap! A blank gray face of stone stood high before him, the skeleton he'd just run through creating a natural fence behind. The lion heard his pursuer snarl again, and the creak of bones as the hyena began to muscle his way through the tight squeeze. In desperation Tasa scrambled onto a small pile of rubble at the cliff base, launching himself hopelessly up the smooth face in an attempt to reach the top.

"Raagh!" Rija snarled finally pushing his way into the small space, his bloodshot eyes struggling to focus on the golden lion before him. Tasa whimpered, fighting to keep his fear in check. Foaming mouth agape the male hyena charged at him and the young lion rose on his haunches to strike his adversary with heavy front paws. Tasa caught the other creature in the wound on his neck and the hyena fell, stunned, to the stone ground. Impulsively the young lion hopped onto the animals' broad shoulders and leaped to the top of the rib cage that boxed them in. Claws outstretched he snagged a vertebrate of the backbone, slamming roughly into the curved part of the ribs.

"Ooof," Tasa grunted, the air knocked from his lungs with the impact. Frantically he heaved himself upward, scrambling for paw holds on the smooth bones. Out of the corner of his eye the lion saw Rija stumbling to his feet, looking around for his prey. Tasa froze midway up the skeleton, hoping against hope that if he didn't move the crazed mammal wouldn't see him. His golden coat pulled taut and loosened rhythmically as the young lion panted as silently as possible. Below him the male hyena was still dazed, swaying a little on his feet as he scrutinized the area around him for his escaped quarry.

"Aah!" the golden lion yelped involuntarily as his hind paw slipped and fell between one of the open spaces in the ribs. Instantly Rija spotted him, and sprung up with a mighty push of his coiled hind legs. Tasa dug his claws into the clean picked bones as the hyena collided with the skeleton, shaking it with the collision of his heavy weight. Snarling and foaming the animal frantically tried to claw his way up the smooth ribs, Tasa cowering away from the crazed look in his eyes.

"It's going to roll!" some watching hyena howled out and Tasa suddenly felt his center of gravity shift as the giant skeleton began to slide to one side. The thick spinal column that had been under his belly was now falling away and the young lion spread his claws wide in a desperate attempt to hang on. Giggling maniacally Rija used gravity to slide toward the other male, jaws open to bite.

"Tasa get out of there!" he heard Siika yell in distress.

_I would if I could!_He thought anxiously, throwing himself to one side and getting wedged between a pair of ribs. Rija leaned forward eagerly and snapped at him, but then the hyena yelped in surprise as he lost his grip and toppled over the other side. Solidly wedged between the ribs Tasa risked a glance down and saw the male lying stunned on the ground. With a dazed look he stared up at Tasa. But the elephant skeleton kept rolling and the young lion jerked his gaze away as the solid vertebrate of the spine touched down on the ground exactly where Rija had landed. A yowl of pain and a wet crunch broke on the young lions' ears, making him feel sick.

"Tasa you need to move!" Siika yelled again and the half-grown lion suddenly realized his peril. The wide chasm he had dodged earlier was directly in the way of the rolling rib cage. Recklessly he fought to free himself, but his young body was solidly wedged in the gap. Gravity pulled the carcass slowly downward, and Tasa began breathing hard as he saw the distance between his dangling feet and the bottom of the crevasse. "Tasa!" Siika shrieked again but he could only look at her helplessly as the bones passed the point of no return and plummeted down into the deep.

* * *

"I'll simply come right out and say it," Scar muttered to himself. The red king stared at the ground as he strode steadily towards the elephant graveyard, thinking about exactly how he was going to speak to Tasa. As soon as he had recovered from the shock of Krypteks' injury the king had been shocked to learn that Sarabi had sent the princling to stay with the hyenas. He had listened in shock as the former queen calmly explained that she had feared for her sons' life—deal or no deal.

"I would never hurt that cub, never!" he growled in slight fury, casting a fierce glare over his shoulder at Pride Rock. "Tasa may look like his father but that's where the similarities end. That cub understands me," he muttered, continuing his march to the shadowlands. "I'll just tell him that his mother made a mistake. Tasa will understand. He knows how Mufasa never listened to me, never cared about what I thought. But he does!" Scars' green eyes glittered happily as a small smile stole onto his face. "That young cub agrees with me on how this kingdom should be run. Now if only the lionesses could realize it too! Stupid Nala…" The red lion let his thoughts wander as he finished the trek, slipping down his well know trail into the elephant graveyard.

"You!" He spat at the first hyena he saw, a young pup gnawing on a bone twice his size. "Show me where the female Siika lives." The small hyena looked at him with a mixture of confusion and awe. "Now!" Scar growled, pulling his lips up to reveal several teeth. The pup squeaked in terror as he jumped to his feet and sped forward.

"Siika, I want to speak with Tasa!" The lion roughly commanded as he began to pad down the tunnel the hyena pup had indicated.

"Scar?" the mother asked in surprise, running quickly around the corner into the tunnel. Shock was plain on her face as she came face to face to the lion king and almost collided with him.

"I need to speak to Tasa. Where is he?" Scar repeated, pulling back in slight discomfort so close was she. Siika blinked, almost in confusion, then swallowed and squared her shoulders.

"I think we should go outside your majesty. There's…something I need to tell you." Confused Scar awkwardly turned around in the narrow space and the female hyena trotted after him.

"Hurry up, I've got things to do," the male lion ordered, throwing himself lethargically into the curve of a rib bone like it was a lazy boy recliner.

"Scar," Siika began clearing her throat and having a hard time meeting his eyes. "Tasa is dead."

"What?" the king replied sharp and quick, his face confused.

"Tasa died this morning. A rabid dog bit one of our patrol members and infected him. Rija went berserk when they got back here and chased after Tasa…he fell into the gorge." Scar looked at her silently, his green eyes asking if she was joking with him. Siika hung her head and added hoarsely, "I haven't even had a chance to send a messenger to Sarabi yet."

"He's dead?" Scar asked, still in slight shock. Siika nodded, taking deep breaths to keep calm. "Dammit!" the red king roared, rolling to his feet and sending the giant bone spinning with the angry swipe of a front paw. "Curse that stupid cub!" Huffing in anger he stalked off, Siika watching him with fearful eyes

* * *

"You wanted to see me sire?" Zazu questioned timidly as he entered the royal chamber.

"Yes, come here Zazu," the king replied listlessly. Banzai smacked his lips noisily as the hornbill hopped by, keeping one nervous eye on the trio of hyenas as he approached the king.

"What is it your majesty?" Zazu asked, still stumbling a bit over the royal title. Scar motioned to the hyenas with a paw and the trio suddenly sprang at the major domo. Zazu squawked in fright as Ed pinned him against a wall and Banzai wedged a ribcage from some prey animal over him. "What's going on?" the confused bird asked as Shenzi made sure the cage was secure and blocked off the ends once Ed let go of the stunned advisor.

"Oh we're just making sure our boss has some company!" Banzai smirked, showing off his sharp teeth.

"Yeah, after all," Shenzi piped up, "There's no reason the king should have to waste his time going all over the land to take care of business. Let the subjects come to him!"

"All right, all right you three," Scar said listlessly, "That's enough, you can go now."

"Catch ya later, birdie," Banzai laughed out as the three hyenas strode out of the cavern.

"Sire…" Zazu began tentatively, still shaken from the surprise attack. "Aren't I going to be taking care of the morning report any more?"

"No Zazu," Scar answered in a bored tone, toying with a skull as he lay stretched out on the stone couch. "The hyena will do it instead. I'm keeping you here for my own entertainment now." Zazu cringed, wondering exactly what the king had in mind.

"What about when you go out?" he asked in slight desperation. "May I be allowed to come with as an escort and stretch my wings?"

"I'm not going out Zazu, get that through your head!" Scar snapped, throwing the skull at the wall above the blue hornbill so hard that it shattered and peppered him with fragments.

"I'm sorry sire! I just…I just…" Zazu sputtered, now shaking a little in fright.

"I see no reason to ever leave Pride Rock again," Scar continued, turning away from the major domo and finding another bone to fiddle with. "My subjects can provide for me while I run the kingdom from here."

"Never sir?" Zazu whispered, not really expecting Scar to hear him.

"Never."


	9. Chain of Events

_A/N- Ok, I'm really, really sorry but I lied, this is NOT the last chapter. It was getting too long and I thought of a wonderful way to conclude it that would make it even longer so I split it up. It should be worth it though, so please hang in there for one more chapter please. Thanks for reading and please review!_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Chain of Events**

"Miehka!" Sarabi called out to the elderly lioness as she trotted over. "You haven't seen Zazu have you? I have an errand for him to run."

"I saw him heading toward the den earlier," Miehka replied, "I'm assuming Scar had something for him to do."

"Could you please go and ask where the king sent Zazu? I need to find Sarafina." Miehka grimaced with the thought of conversing with the lion king, but nodded and headed towards Pride Rock. Sarabi continued her search, trotting between the small groups of lionesses lounging around to see if anyone had seen their pride sister lately. After several minutes the old queen spotted the familiar shape of her best friend approaching through the dry savannah grass.

"'Fina!" she called out eagerly, smiling as she jogged over to greet the other lioness. "Where have you been all afternoon? I wanted to ask if…." Sarabi's voice trailed off as she saw the narrowed eyes and felt the angry vibe emanating from her best friend. "What's wrong?"

"Do you know what he tried to do?!" Sarafina burst out, completely taking the other lioness by surprise.

"'Fina!" she gasped in shock, "What in the world happened?" In alarm the tan lioness watched her angry pride member begin to pace furiously, teeth revealed in an angry snarl.

"I WON'T LET HIM NEAR MY DAUGHTER!" Sarafina growled out, firing an ice-cold stare toward Pride Rock. But before Sarabi could deduce what she was talking about Miehka raced up, panting, her eyes open in concern.

"Queen Sarabi, queen Sarabi!" she wheezed, skidding to a stop with a small puff of dust. "Scar's locked Zazu in the cave! And the king says that he's not coming out either!"

"What?" Sarabi exclaimed, and then shook herself out of the shock. In a tone well practiced from her time as queen the lioness took charge. Sarabi ordered Miehka to explain what had happened when she spoke with the king, while she forced Sarafina to sit and calm down before reporting her own crisis.

A cold fear crept into her heart as Miehka recounted the scene for her. Scar had locked Zazu in a cage of bones, and had told the lioness that he was no longer going to patrolling the land and expected all his meals to be brought to him. The queen concentrated on keeping her nervousness in check as Miehka added more and more details to the report.

_What caused this madness?_ Sarabi thought to herself. _He seemed quite all right this morning when I told him about Tasa…_Earlier the king had calmly asked her where the half grown was and with some hesitation Sarabi had told him the truth about where she had sent her son—and why. Scar had been shocked and looked almost…ashamed of himself. The red king had immediately set off for the Shadowlands to speak with Tasa but she hadn't seen either lion since.

Pushing her thoughts away from worry for her son Sarabi turned her attention to Sarafina, gently persuading the lioness to reveal her own trouble. Her friends' tale did not help to calm the queens' own fears though. Sarabi found herself breathing deeply to keep from roaring in anger and rushing up to attack Scar. Apparently that morning Nala had gone to speak with him about the problem with the herds. However, instead of listening to her the king had apparently started babbling on about cubs and immortality. When he had advanced toward her with a strange leer Nala had panicked and struck at him before running off and hiding on the savannah until her mother had discovered her not long ago. _Steady,_ Sarabi commanded herself, closing her eyes and concentrating on breathing deeply.

"Miehka," she said when she regained her composure. "I need you to help me gather the lionesses together on the sunning rocks. But don't be too obvious!" she added hastily as the older lioness turned to leave. "Tell them to just wander over as though it were their own idea, we don't want to attract attention. I'll meet you all there in just a minute." With a nod Miehka took off with a determined stride, her face set in a hardened expression of distaste.

"Sarafina," the queen spoke again, holding the other lioness' gaze firmly. "No matter how angry you are you cannot face Scar right now." The other lioness growled a little, obviously still furious with what the king had tried to do to her daughter, but she held back. "Go out to Nala again, but take a small hunting party with you so the hyenas don't think something is up. Tell her to get out of here." Sarafina raised her eyebrows in surprise, and Sarabi nodded to reaffirm the order. "This kingdom is falling apart," she said, heaving a sigh as she added, "and I'm about to make it even worse." Sarafina hesitated a moment, finally reminded that it was not only her beloved daughter who was in trouble.

"Are you sure you don't need me here?" she inquired. Sarabi shook her head,

"Go and say goodbye to your daughter. I will take care of things here." With a nod of understanding Sarafina bounded off, leaving the queen alone in her private thoughts. _Forgive me great kings,_ Sarafina prayed as she stared up at the bright blue sky, _forgive me for what I am about to do to this kingdom._

* * *

"But I don't want to leave!" Cali whined loudly, looking pleadingly up at her mother, who quickly shushed her.

"It's best if we get all the cubs out of here…" Sarabi continued, looking over the gathered members of the pride.

"But I'm not a cub!" Cali protested before Kryptek cut her off.

"Well you're sure acting like one!" the young male shot at her, staring at the young lioness with his good eye. The other was still swelled shut and covered by some green-brown paste concocted by Rafiki to help heal the cut. Cali scowled at the orange-red cub but she sat silently as Sarabi continued.

"Jezza," the old queen addressed Krypteks mother. "Take your son to Rafiki's tree and hide there until he's healed enough to travel. Hiika," she turned to another one of the mothers, "you and Cali should be have no trouble escaping over the southern border. As soon as I can I'll send Tasa to find you." The tan lioness nodded, her daughter still sulking at her side.

"What about the little cubs?" Miehka asked, looking down at Sarafina's twins that she was babysitting.

"We wanna go somewhere new too!" Kala piped up, her brother nodding energetically in agreement. Sarabi felt a twinge of guilt as she looked at their eager faces. As with her own son the pride had kept Scars history a secret from the twins and they didn't truly grasp the severity of the situation. Instead they merely thought the older cubs were being treated to a special trip away from Pride Rock.

"The border is still a long way for you two and Nuka to travel, perhaps later." Sarabi spoke, choosing her words carefully to keep from alarming the twins. Then she turned to the adults and added, "Right now I think it's best merely to remain alert. Remember our youngest cubs are Scars' children."

"What does that have to do with going on a trip?" Kala whispered to Kiveh, but her brother just shrugged.

"Where are Nuka and Zira?" one of the lionesses asked, looking around at the gathered pride.

"Zira's out with a hunting party," Sarabi answered. "I'm not sure about Nuka though…"

"He's hanging out with dad," Kiveh interjected, and Sarabi smiled her thanks at the cub who looked so much like her Simba had.

"Does everyone know what to do now?" she asked, sparing one last glance around the circle of lionesses. Solemnly they nodded, a few shooting nervous glances in the direction of Pride Rock where they knew Scar rested. "Tonight we'll move into the lower cave. That way it will take longer for the king to notice that anyone is missing." Sarabi paused, swallowing her nervousness and taking a deep breath. "Ok, let's go." The group of lionesses began to disperse, but Miehka padded over to whisper in their leaders ear.

"Will this really work? Can we rise against the king?" She asked Sarabi, the quaver in her normally steady voice betraying her nervousness. The former queen hung her head as she answered quietly,

"I don't know…but if he's beginning to lose control we might be able to regain it for ourselves."

* * *

"He's dead." Scar said simply, looking at the lioness with blank eyes.

"Wha? What?" Sarabi choked out, struggling to stay on her feet as the shock hit her. _Tasa can't be dead!_ Her mind screamed, eyes staring unblinking at the stone floor of the cave. After dispersing the lionesses, the queen had gathered her courage and come to ask the king about the location of her son.

"Is he really daddy?" Kala's worried whimper echoed strangely strange in the stone cavern. The three youngest members of the pride, Kala, Kiveh and Nuka were all huddled near the entrance where they had been playing when Sarabi entered.

"Kids, why don't you go outside and play," Sarabi heard her own voice bounce off the walls though she couldn't remember telling her mouth to form the words.

"But what about Tasa?" Nuka questioned, eyes open big as he shifted his gaze from one adult to another.

"Come on," Kiveh murmured to the others, "we better listen." Quietly the trio padded away, stealing glances backward with a mixture of curiosity and worry.

"Please tell me that you're joking Scar," Sarabi managed to choke out once the cubs were out of sight. Silently the male lion met her eyes, his green eyes filled with despair. With a hurt cry Sarabi spun around and raced from the cavern, paws pounding on the tan-orange stone of Pride Rock. _Tasa, Tasa_ her mind kept saying the name of her son over and over again. Memories of his face swirled in her mind as she ran across the savannah, blinded by a rush of tears.

_That's why Scar finally lost it,_ she finally grasped as her mind recovered enough to form a complete thought. _The last person he really cared about is gone…now he's alone again._ With shaky breaths the lioness kept pushing herself towards the elephant graveyard, mind reeling. _Zira and some of the others may worship Scar but he doesn't feel any connection to them besides as faithful subjects…Tasa was the closest thing to a friend that he had._ Suddenly Sarabi found herself on the shadowed border; cautiously she began to pick her way down the dusty slope, careful not to slip on the loose bones.

"It can't be true," the queen whispered as she reached level ground and paced forward in search of Siika.

"Sarabi!" Skadow yelped from nearby, and the young hyena suddenly appeared at her side. "Come on, mom's been waiting for you!" The female nudged the lioness into a trot, guiding her with nudges to the darkened cavern entrance then racing ahead and yelling for her mother. Sarabi shut her eyes as she emerged into the bright cavern, and a split second later a familiar voice made her heart miss a beat.

"Mom!" Still slightly blinded by the change in light Sarabi could just make out her son as he stood on teetering legs, grinning impishly at her.

"Tasa!" the lioness cried out, rushing to his side and purring loudly as she rubbed heads with her son. "You're ok, you're ok," she cried, tears forming dark lines as they ran down her cheeks.

"Sorry to worry you mom," Tasa said sincerely, pulling back a little to keep from being smothered by the embrace. Sarabi, shamelessly wiped away a few tears with her paw, staring lovingly at her son.

"It's ok," she replied, stepping forward to embrace him once more. "But never, ever, ever do that again!"


	10. Ruinous Ends

**Chapter 10: Ruinous Ends**

"Thank you so much Siika, I don't know how I could ever repay you." Sarabi looked over at the mother hyena with an expression full of gratitude.

"You gave my children a chance despite their species, you owe me nothing," Siika replied, smiling as well while she watched her two pups and Tasa playing at mouse, elephant, carnivore (their own version of rock, paper scissors).

"Thank you still." Sarabi repeated, while a fit of laughter erupted from the trio when Spite fell over as he tried to imitate an elephant. "Do you think Tasa will be well enough to leave tonight?"

"Sure," the hyena mother responded instantly. "He didn't break anything in the fall, just some bruises from being wedged in." Sarabi nodded in acknowledgment,

"I'll tell him as soon as it's dark then."

* * *

"Leave?!" Tasa exclaimed later that night. The half grown and his mother sat alone on a ridge top in the elephant graveyard, the waxing moon rising in the starlit sky above them. Sarabi had just told him everything that had happened in the Pride Lands that day, and that he couldn't return since Scar thought he was dead. "But I don't want to leave!" Tasa protested again.

"You sound just like Cali," Sarabi chuckled and her son grimaced at the comparison.

"I just…I just can't believe it," Tasa said after a moment, trying hard to keep from whining. "Scar just never seemed bad to me…. Even when Siika told us the truth last night I didn't really believe it…I didn't want to believe it." Desperately the young lion looked up as his mother with golden eyes pleading for help.

"I'm sorry Tasa," Sarabi apologized, nuzzling him comfortingly. "I wish I could have told you the truth but I didn't want you to be hurt."

"And I'm not now?" The young lion burst out angrily. "I just found out that someone I've respected my whole life is an evil tyrant who killed my brother! Don't you think that hurts?" The shift of emotion from loss to anger on his face threw Sarabi off balance and she tried to find the right words to say to her son.

"Tasa…I…I just…" the queen stammered and struggled to explain and calm him down before giving up with a sigh and sitting down next to a pouting Tasa. She let the half-grown lion cool off for a minute, admiring how much he had grown recently. His head was just above her shoulder now, and the red tuft that had once adorned his brow had grown into a respectable mane.

"I just don't think I'm ready to be on my own," Tasa suddenly spoke, catching his mother by surprise.

"But you don't have to be!" Sarabi responded quickly, "I told Cali's mother that you would meet them as soon as you escaped."

"Really?" the young lion asked, looking up in surprise.

"Of course!" Sarabi gave him a motherly smile as she added, "You don't think I would just ship you off into the wild on your own do you?" Tasa blushed sheepishly as she hugged him. "I know Cali isn't necessarily your favorite playmate but…" The golden lion rolled his eyes as his mother left the sentence unfinished and laughed instead. They sat quietly for another minute; both staring up at the star sprinkled sky and watching the clouds float across the moon.

"Will you miss me mom?" Tasa asked quietly, looking down at his paws.

"How could I not?" Sarabi murmured back, reminded at how awkward an age Tasa was. Truely old enough to care for himself but still so unsure if he was actually prepared to or not. "I would go with you if I could…"

"But all the lionesses look to you to lead them," the cub interrupted. "I understand."

"I guess I'm still queen in many ways," Sarabi said with a sigh, gazing towards the dark outline of Pride Rock in the distance.

"At least I've never been wrong about how great you are mom." The lioness immediately teared up when her son said those words, and as he stood up to leave she had to blink back the salty drops before saying goodbye. "I'll see you again mom, don't worry," Tasa told her confidently.

"But I do worry," Sarabi whispered as she nuzzled him goodbye. "Be careful." With a nod Tasa turned and jogged away, heading for the southern border. Sarabi sat and watched him disappear into the dark night. _At least this time I can say goodbye_, the mother lioness thought to herself, a brief memory of Simba coming to life in her mind.

_**Mom! Mom! Watch me!" Simba called to her as he leaped from the boulder and neatly pinned a flower under his paws. "Very nice," Sarabi answered, smiling proudly at her son. The golden cub gamboled over, scrambling up her side and plopping his light weight down on her shoulder. "I like going out with you mom…even if you do make me take a lot of baths" said the cub. "Well I'm glad to here that," laughed the queen, rolling onto her stomach and pinning down Simba to tickle him. "Ahh! No! Stop!" the cub howled, fighting back laughter as mother and son rolled in the green grass.**_

_He'll be ok,_ Sarabi told herself as she came back to the present and caught a last glimpse of Tasa on the horizon. _He's a prince of the Pride Lands after all._

* * *

_So that's how I left the Pride Lands and gave up my claim to the throne. I snuck past the hyenas and over the southern border without any trouble. For a long time me, Cali and her mother kept a vigil over the border, hoping that someone would come and tell us it was safe to return home. But as the weeks rolled by we gave up hope. Cali and her mother drifted off to find another pride, but I stayed behind. I still hadn't quite come to terms with Scar, my mentor, being such a bad king. I clung to the belief that one-day my mother would come find me and say that it had all been a mistake. Weeks turned into months though and I turned three years old without seeing another member of my old pride._

_Eventually it wasn't my mother who found me but Nala. After leaving the Pride Lands she had found her way to the nearby jungle and discovered something wonderful—my brother Simba was still alive. He had returned just ahead of her, ready to take the crown back from Scar and return the Pride Lands to their former glory. Nala begged me to come with her to find him and help fight against Scar and his hyena legions. Uncomfortably I turned her down, still unsure what I thought about the lion that had been a father figure for me. Nala was her understanding self though and with a sincere goodbye went off in search of the brother I had still not met._

_That evening I kept a closer watch on the Pride Lands than usual. Faint sounds of battle reached my ears and I could just make out the shifting hoards of carnivores as they fought on Pride Rock itself. A lighting bolt from an approaching storm started a grass fire right at the base of the feature, but by the time the leading edge of the storm reached me the downpour of rain had already put out the eager flames. Suddenly a roar reverberated over the land and I saw a male lion silhouetted on the peak of Pride Rock._

_It wasn't Scar. I had heard his dominating roar for all the years of my life and knew it like my own paw. As the storm continued to roll over I sat in the falling rain and wondered what they had done to him, and if I could now return home. Suddenly raindrops quit hitting me in the face and I looked up to find a small break in the clouds. Above the storm the moon was full and a silvery beam of light reflected down on me and cast a long shadow. Glancing over my shoulder it looked almost like my silhouette was traveling down that solid path of light…to where I didn't know._

_That's when it hit me. I may have been tied to the Pride lands by a childhood loyalty to Scar, but without him as king I was free to choose my own path. And just because I had looked up to Scar didn't mean I was going to become him. My brother had returned, determined to repair the kingdom I might have ruled if given the chance, but I was glad to let him have it. I had never really wanted to be king anyways._

_What about mom?__ I thought, looking forward at the dead Pride Lands again. With Simba back she would still have someone to care for her as she grew older, and I wasn't a little cub anymore. I didn't need her to look over me. I had gotten used to being alone these last few months, the life of a rouge wouldn't bother me._

_Resolutely I stood up and turned away from the Pride Lands and set my paws on a new path. I was a prince of the Pride Rock, taught by the king himself and raised to be strong. Maybe I had been wrong about Scar, maybe I had been fooled into thinking that the Pride Lands I grew up in were ruled by a kind and wise king, but everyone makes mistakes. It's how they are handled that sets the greats apart. Without glancing back I loped away from the border, following the beam of moonlight over the rain washed savannah grass to new horizons._

* * *

A/N- That's it, Tasa's story is finally over and I hope you enjoyed it. I tried not to make the parting between him and Sarabi too sappy, but she had already lost one son so I didn't think it fair to put her through another harsh parting. Perhaps if I get enough reviews I might one day write some stories about Tasa's adventures after he leaves the Pride Lands, but for now this is the end. As always, please **REVIEW **and thanks for reading!


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